Lock for trunks



UNITED STATES PATEN FFICE.

HENRY C. JONES, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LOCK FOR TRUNKS, CHESTS, &G.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. JONES, of thecity of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Trunk,Chest, ,Sliding-Door, and other Looks; and I do hereby declare that' thefollowing is a full and exact description of the lock as improved by me.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar construction of thetwo levers which pry open the aws.

The objectof my improvement is to construct a lock on a principle asmuch as possible to lessen its liability to get out of repair, withparticular regard to its strength, and as much as possible to guardagainst the pcssibility of its being picked.

To enable others, skilled in the art of making locks, to manufacture anduse my invention, I will proceed to describe its oper ation andconstruction.

The case, which is marked A in the drawing is constructed of sheet ironof an oblongsquare. The front plate, or plate throug which the keypasses, is projected or eX- tended from the boX or case to which itforms a part, sufficient to form a ange, by which it is screwed ornailed to the trunk or chest, upon the inner side.

The working parts of the locks consist first, of the jaws, catches, orhooks marked C, C, in drawing No. l. Their oice is to hold the head ofthe bolt, B. They play each upon a pivot passing through and riveted onthe outside of the case. When shut they are parallel with each otherJfrom their pivots to about half their length, where each is curved outsuliciently to make room for the head of the bolt B. At the end of eachjaw is a head, hook or catch to clasp the neck of the bolt B. The jawsor catches are kept shut by springs operating upon the outside of each.I prefer the scroll spring as in drawing No. l, marked D, I), on accountof its diminished liability to break, although 1,036, dated December 15,1838.

that particular manner of spring is not essential to the operation ofthe lock.

E in drawing No. l represents the levers to f orce open the jaws, alsorepresented in section at Fig. 2. They both play upon the same pivot,and are located between the straight part of the two jaws. Their generalshape is an oblong square, their width being equal to the space betweenthe two jaws. One corner of each lever is taken off in an anglesufficient to free and prevent its action upon one jaw; one operatingupon one jaw and the other upon the other jaw. An arm is extended fromeach lever to receive the action of the key. The partition or plate Fseparates the two arms. The object and advantage of the double lever isto make it necessary, in order to open the lock, to operate upon bothlevers, at one and the saine time.

By this construction the operation of one lever alone by any instrument,not calculated to reach both, is not suiiicient to force the bolt B.I-Ience the difticulty of its being picked. A small stop port is putwithin the orbit of the key, which is hid by the partition plate F. Itsobject is to stop the key and retain the jaws in an open position. Thekey is withdrawn by a retrograde motion. The bolt B is riveted to aplate of a suitable shape to secure it to the lid of the trunk or chest,when the head of the bolt passes through the aws, which are closed bythe spring.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The employment of two levers, which act upon the jaws or catches, inopening the lock for the purpose and in the manner herein beforedescribed.

Newark, November 28th, 1838.

HENRY C. JONES.

' Signed in presence of# O. F. EDDY, DAVE) A. HAYES.

